4 DPWH employees charged with graft

LUCENA CITY, Philippines – Four employees of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) here were charged with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman for alleged irregularities in the bidding of various road projects.

Erwin Prado, project engineer of RC Tagala Construction, has charged Eufronia Cabaysa, bids and awards committee chair; Helen Asinas, BAC vice chair; and BAC members Wilson Tagbo and Jose Portales with falsification of documents and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Government Procurement Reform Act.

Prado alleged that the the winning bidder  had“alternative bids,” which is prohibited under  the law.

In his sworn affidavit, Prado said he received an invitation to bid for the P34.3-million preventive maintenance of Famy-Real-Dinahican port road; P13.8 million for the concreting of Marikina-Infanta road; P22.2 million for the maintenance of Lucena-Tayabas-Lucban-Sampaloc-Mauban port road; and P5.8 million for the concreting of Mauban-Tignoan road.

Prado said a pre-bidding conference was announced on Nov. 15, 2012 at the First Engineering District Office in Lucban but it did not push through. He said the submission and opening of bids on Nov. 27, 2012 and the opening of bids on Nov. 29 and Dec. 4, 2012 were also cancelled.

Prado said Cabaysa told him to just withdraw his bid since Quezon Rep. Mark Wilfrido Enverga is also bidding for the projects.

He said the delays in the bidding were “without justifiable cause,” and “unduly influencing or exerting undue pressure on any member of the BAC or any officer or employee of the procuring entity to take a particular bidder.”